A POLITICAL spat over a proposed playground in Highworth led to town councillor Angela Livall standing in the dock charged with assaulting former mayor Maureen Penny.

The incident occurred on November 5 at the Globe Inn, where it was alleged Coun Livall was under the influence of alcohol and had assaulted Coun Penny.

Coun Livall pleaded guilty to the charges on Wednesday and was given an absolute discharge by Swindon magistrates.

But she has said it is the latest in a series of attempts to silence her within local politics after she appeared at two code of conduct hearings last year, neither of which brought any action against her.

“I was summoned to the Globe Inn on 5 November last year to a meeting of the Conservative group,” said Coun Livall.

“Subsequently I ended up at magistrates’ court on criminal charges.

“ It should never have got that far. This happened because I would not fall into line, and they have been trying to take away my public voice.”

Coun Livall has been at loggerheads with fellow councillors over the siting of a new multi use games arena at Northview Community Centre and artificial all weather football pitch at Highworth Rec.

“The residents had put in letters of complaint, as well as the trustees of the Northview Community centre and the borough police consultant,” said Coun Livall.

“It is my opinion on the important issues concerning Highworth that put me in this position, but my public voice has not been taken away.

“I have every respect and confidence in the current trustees of the Northview Community Centre and Highworth Rec Centre, but I remain concerned about the future of the Highworth Rec Centre, and still believe the introduction of an artificial all-weather pitch would be beneficial to the centre.

“The main issue is the siting of the multi use games arena, which I no longer believe will be at Northview.

“I wanted to speak privately with my fellow councillors. We were facing a lot of angry residents, and there is an election coming up.

“I have no stain on my record, I was just trying to get back in with my party.”

Coun Penny said she stepped in to help after Coun Livall flew at the party secretary ahead of the group meeting.

“I went in to the Globe Inn pub with the secretary of the Conservative party and another councillor,” she said.

“As we walked in to the back Angela flew across the room shouting and wagging her finger at the secretary, who is a 76-year-old, very small, woman.

“The other councillor left because she did not need that sort of upset. I told Angela to calm down, and she turned on me and poked me in the shoulder.”

“From what I gathered she did not feel the secretary of the Conservatives should be at a meeting of the Blunsdon and Highworth conservatives.

“It was very vicious, and as soon as she heard our voices she pushed another councillor out of the way to get to our group. She was aiming for another person but I got involved to protect her.”

Current Highworth mayor Philip Beaumont, who is a Labour councillor, said: “It is regrettable it should come to this between two councillors.

“As far as I am concerned there are not any issues within the council. The councillors I know have always treated Angela with respect, but outside the council chambers I do not know. “This is an issue which has occurred within the Conservative party.

“The council has been trying to deal with some quite complicated issues, and the atmosphere does sometimes spill over, but we have been working well together as a council. Meetings are usually amicable and we work well together to achieve things.”

Maureen Penney sounds like a nasty piece of work.Anyone who runs to the police and tries to get a colleague a criminal conviction over a trivial incident like this is not fit to be a councillor.

Maureen Penney sounds like a nasty piece of work.Anyone who runs to the police and tries to get a colleague a criminal conviction over a trivial incident like this is not fit to be a councillor.stratton man

They just look like your typical arrogant self serving councillors and why no one trusts them or their ability to do anything useful for anyone else but themselves

[quote][p][bold]semitonic[/bold] wrote:
They both look like trouble.[/p][/quote]They just look like your typical arrogant self serving councillors and why no one trusts them or their ability to do anything useful for anyone else but themselveshouse on the hill

stratton man wrote:
Maureen Penney sounds like a nasty piece of work.Anyone who runs to the police and tries to get a colleague a criminal conviction over a trivial incident like this is not fit to be a councillor.

So it's fine for anyone you work with to give you a slap then?

[quote][p][bold]stratton man[/bold] wrote:
Maureen Penney sounds like a nasty piece of work.Anyone who runs to the police and tries to get a colleague a criminal conviction over a trivial incident like this is not fit to be a councillor.[/p][/quote]So it's fine for anyone you work with to give you a slap then?ChannelX

Channel X Miss Penney was not slapped she was poked with a finger in what appears to be a very meaty shoulder.I would be very surprised if she even felt any contact.Persuing such a trivial contact to court seems to reek of score settling unrelated to the incident.

Channel X Miss Penney was not slapped she was poked with a finger in what appears to be a very meaty shoulder.I would be very surprised if she even felt any contact.Persuing such a trivial contact to court seems to reek of score settling unrelated to the incident.stratton man

stratton man wrote:
Maureen Penney sounds like a nasty piece of work.Anyone who runs to the police and tries to get a colleague a criminal conviction over a trivial incident like this is not fit to be a councillor.

So it's fine for anyone you work with to give you a slap then?

Which bit of the article mentioned slapping? Even the victim claims she was "poked on the shoulder".

As your always so keen to point out, the courts barely do anything when someone is badly beaten by another, so for a poke on the shoulder what do you expect them to do?

[quote][p][bold]ChannelX[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]stratton man[/bold] wrote:
Maureen Penney sounds like a nasty piece of work.Anyone who runs to the police and tries to get a colleague a criminal conviction over a trivial incident like this is not fit to be a councillor.[/p][/quote]So it's fine for anyone you work with to give you a slap then?[/p][/quote]Which bit of the article mentioned slapping? Even the victim claims she was "poked on the shoulder".
As your always so keen to point out, the courts barely do anything when someone is badly beaten by another, so for a poke on the shoulder what do you expect them to do?LordAshOfTheBrake

Oh dear....not very dignified from our local representatives is it? The burning question is WHY do we have parties interfering in local councils? Let's have more people who want to serve their community, rather than be slaves to a party.

Oh dear....not very dignified from our local representatives is it? The burning question is WHY do we have parties interfering in local councils? Let's have more people who want to serve their community, rather than be slaves to a party.BeardyBill

stratton man wrote:
Channel X Miss Penney was not slapped she was poked with a finger in what appears to be a very meaty shoulder.I would be very surprised if she even felt any contact.Persuing such a trivial contact to court seems to reek of score settling unrelated to the incident.

She pleaded guilty to assault. Why would she do that if she felt she'd not committed assault?

My point was that you're trying to defend a person who admitted assault and said that the person who was assaulted was in the wrong. Seems a little mixed up to me.

As I said, would you be happy for your work colleagues to assault you?

[quote][p][bold]stratton man[/bold] wrote:
Channel X Miss Penney was not slapped she was poked with a finger in what appears to be a very meaty shoulder.I would be very surprised if she even felt any contact.Persuing such a trivial contact to court seems to reek of score settling unrelated to the incident.[/p][/quote]She pleaded guilty to assault. Why would she do that if she felt she'd not committed assault?
My point was that you're trying to defend a person who admitted assault and said that the person who was assaulted was in the wrong. Seems a little mixed up to me.
As I said, would you be happy for your work colleagues to assault you?ChannelX

Channelx she committed an assault only in a technical sence .No rational person would regard a poke in the shoulder with a finger as an assault in the real world.I do not condone violence but this incident clearly was not violent.It seems that Miss Penny is persuing a vendetta against the other councillor and used this incident to her advantage.

Channelx she committed an assault only in a technical sence .No rational person would regard a poke in the shoulder with a finger as an assault in the real world.I do not condone violence but this incident clearly was not violent.It seems that Miss Penny is persuing a vendetta against the other councillor and used this incident to her advantage.stratton man

stratton man wrote:
Channelx she committed an assault only in a technical sence .No rational person would regard a poke in the shoulder with a finger as an assault in the real world.I do not condone violence but this incident clearly was not violent.It seems that Miss Penny is persuing a vendetta against the other councillor and used this incident to her advantage.

As you keep saying.

And as I keep asking you, would you find it acceptable for one of your work colleagues to assault you and then label you in the wrong if you reported them?

Assault is assault. She pleaded guilty to the charge. It's hardly my fault if the law is what the law is.

Of course it was a violent act, it was ASSAULT carried out in a drunken manner.

We know you're massively pro-Labour, but defend this (rather typical) leftie is a bit ridiculous.

[quote][p][bold]stratton man[/bold] wrote:
Channelx she committed an assault only in a technical sence .No rational person would regard a poke in the shoulder with a finger as an assault in the real world.I do not condone violence but this incident clearly was not violent.It seems that Miss Penny is persuing a vendetta against the other councillor and used this incident to her advantage.[/p][/quote]As you keep saying.
And as I keep asking you, would you find it acceptable for one of your work colleagues to assault you and then label you in the wrong if you reported them?
Assault is assault. She pleaded guilty to the charge. It's hardly my fault if the law is what the law is.
Of course it was a violent act, it was ASSAULT carried out in a drunken manner.
We know you're massively pro-Labour, but defend this (rather typical) leftie is a bit ridiculous.ChannelX